


Some Bonds Can Never Be Broken

by Kaybeth13



Series: Some Bonds [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-25
Updated: 2017-12-22
Packaged: 2019-02-06 19:39:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 16,202
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12824640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaybeth13/pseuds/Kaybeth13
Summary: She was always there, helping them, protecting them, loving them. Even when war broke out, she refused to stay back and let them die, standing with them every step of the way. Now, she needs to be there once more to help the recently unfrozen Steve Rogers make sense of his new life, that is, if she can convince herself she isn't dreaming...Story 1 in the Some Bonds Series.





	1. Echoes of Memories

**_April 17_ ** **_th_ ** **_2012, SHIELD headquarters, New York City._ **

Once Nick Fury had managed to convince Steve Rogers to return to SHIELD headquarters, he breathed a deep sigh of relief. The last thing they needed was a culture-shocked Captain America disappearing on them. He could just imagine trying to explain that one to Pierce. 'Yeah, we defrosted him. He ran away.' That would go down well.

Oblivious to the thoughts in the director's head, Steve followed silently behind, taking the time to actually look around. His head was spinning from the modern technology surrounding him. He was even more perplexed at the number of women wearing trousers and combat boots, identical to the men. Had times really changed that much that it was common for women to now fight on the front line? The only two women he'd ever seen fight along with the men had been incredible exceptions back in his day. He thought of Peggy, his heart clenching painfully as he remembered that even out in the camps, she was always in her skirt and heels, hair impeccably in place. Only once did he ever see her in trousers. Inevitably, thinking of her made him think of the others- his Howling Commandos, Howard Stark…Bucky and Beth. Blinking fiercely as his eyes misted over, he almost missed the glance sent over Fury's shoulder.

"You okay Cap?" he asked, a rare tone of concern in his voice.

Steve wanted to say yes, but his head began to spin further instead, forcing his hand to shoot out and press against the wall in a desperate bid to stay standing. The voices of his past kept whispering in his mind, each one reminding him of what he'd sacrificed, what he'd never get back. The weight of his sorrow made his body feel too heavy for his legs and he dropped to his knees, uncaring that a small crowd had gathered, watching him like he was an animal caged in a zoo. He wanted to beg them to leave him alone, but his mouth struggled to form the words. The world began to blur, the whispers in his head coming thicker and faster until he wanted to scream for them to leave him alone. He didn't know if his heart could take the pain, his hand shooting up to his chest as if he was ready to rip it out himself and end it. Suddenly, one of the voices came to him louder and clearer than the others, as if the person was standing in the room with him.

"Oh my god. Steve!"

The clarity of the voice collided with the ghosts in his mind and he wanted to sob. He was sure this was some sick form of torture, subtle reminders of what he'd lost constantly hitting him until he went mad. He felt a bitter laugh brewing in his chest. Bucky always said he was the crazy one and the voices along with imagining he could hear  _her_  in front of him made him begin to think maybe his best friend had a valid point. Struggling to breathe under the intensity of his grief, he looked up to prove to himself that he was just imagining her.

"It can't be." He murmured as he heard the voice once more.

Closing his eyes, he found himself unable to hold back his tears, cringing as they began to slide down his face. So lost in his sorrow, he failed to see the person trying to part the crowd, calling out to him repeatedly.

"Steve! Steve, look at me dam you!" the voice called again.

His eyes snapped open, looking at the crowd in confusion. He was in disbelief; that was definitely something  _she_ would never have said to him, however, years of Bucky's influence had changed that, turning her into quite the smart mouth in the last years.

The crowd in front of him finally parted and his eyes landed on a petite woman as familiar to him as his own reflection. The second his azure blue eyes connected with the identical ones he last saw falling into the ocean, his mind fell silent before shutting down completely. Unable to fight it, his vision finally turned black and he crumpled to the floor. He managed to stay conscious long enough to see her drop down next to him, tears rolling down her face as shaking hands cradled his face. As he finally lost his battle with consciousness, his lips parted and he whispered a single word.

"Beth..."


	2. Beth

**_June 6 th, 1928. Brooklyn, New York._ **

It wasn’t too unusual to have a cold snap in June, but after the heatwave they had only a week earlier, this one had taken the whole city by surprise. As a result, people were in too much of a rush to get in to the warmth to notice events going on around them. They didn’t have the time or wish to dally and investigate, even to find out what the source of the loud crashing noise was as they passed one particular alley. Nobody stopped to witness a small boy being thrown into the opposite wall by a boy much larger than himself. They just continued on their way, unaware of the blood on the floor as it gushed out of the smaller boy’s nose. The boy refused to back down despite his injuries, barley able to stand on his feet as he tried to out stare his attacker.

“I gotta hand it to ya, ya don’t go down easy. Makes it more fun.”

Despite the fact his head was spinning from the blood loss and repeated punches, he simply stared back, determination to keep fighting dominating his expression. The other boy snarled, grasping the front of his shirt and throwing him further into the alley with such force, the material ripped, leaving him holding a strip of fabric as the smaller boy crashed to the floor. Still, he scrambled back to his feet, fists sloppily raised as he faced off once more. The older boy glared, the stubbornness of his victim quickly turning him from amused to angry.

“Seriously? What is with you, you little brat, wanna die?” 

Azure blue eyes narrowed, even as deep down, he knew that he really should stand down.

“I don’t like bullies.” He stated simply, speaking as if the answer should have been obvious to said bully.

Unfortunately, his response only earned him another hit to the face, this time with enough force to finally knock him on to his back. He groaned as he fell, knowing he wasn’t getting up again any time soon. He clenched his eyes shut, not particularly wanting to see the foot heading his way collide with his face. Had his eyes been open, he would have noticed that finally, somebody had ignored the cold enough to stop and see what was causing the noise in the alley. He would have also recognised the person and moved out of their sight so they couldn’t recognise him in return, but luck was not on his side that day. The bully lowered his foot at the sound of footsteps approaching and glared down at the small girl in front of him. Before he could open his mouth to tell her to leave, her eyes drifted down to the boy laying on the ground and her eyes widened in shock.

“Steve!?” She called.

Ten year old Steven Grant Rogers let out a groan at the familiarity of the voice, wishing that he was strong enough to get up and fight. He knew she was exactly the same as him and would inevitably end up hurt as she tried to help him. His eyes opened slowly to see her looking at him, a mixture of horror and anger on her face as she took in his state. Realising the injuries came from the boy hovering above him, she glared, hands falling on to her hips to mirror the stance her mother had whenever she was angry.

“You big jerk! Pick on somebody else or I’ll call the police!” she shouted.

Steve let out another groan and tried to pick himself up as the bully returned her glare, walking up to her until he was towering above her. The momentary bravado she had vanished, and Steve could only watch helplessly as the older boy bent so he was face to face with her.

“Is that so, pipsqueak? Well, okay then I will pick on somebody else. Let’s see, there’s only you, me and him here, so I guess you’ll have to do won’t you?”

By now, the seven year old realised that her threat of calling the police hadn’t scared him as she thought it would. Slowly, she began to back away, eyes wide with fear. Without warning, he reached out and grasped her arm, throwing her towards Steve so she couldn’t run away without having to get through him first. With a squeak of pain, she landed next to Steve, her knee scraping on the floor. She let out a small whimper, her eyes watering with pain. Steve protectively wrapped his arms round her and glared up at the bully once more.

“Leave her alone.” He warned.

The boy sneered

“Why, is she your girlfriend or something? She’s a bit young don’t you think?” he mocked.

With a burst of rage, Steve lurched to his feet and managed to successfully hit the bully in the stomach. The boy stumbled back, giving Steve a look of surprise.

“She’s my sister and you’d better treat her with more respect.” Steve spat.

His moment of heroism didn’t last long as the  bully recovered quickly and returned the punch, once more sending Steve to the floor with a grunt.

Keeping her mouth shut despite wanting to call out to her brother, Elizabeth May Rogers quietly began edging away from the pair. She didn’t want to leave Steve alone with the bully, but he needed help that she knew she couldn’t give. Their mother wasn’t too far away, the older woman also looking for Steve after he had disappeared an hour earlier. She knew if she could just slip past, she could raise an alarm, however, the bully read her movements, his hand shooting out once more to grab her arm. Reacting instinctively, she swung her hand round and there was a loud slap as her flash met that of the boy’s cheek. Steve grit his teeth and tried to pull himself up as he watched the boys grip tighten. As his sister yelped in pain, she tried to twist and hit him again, only for him to slam her hard against the wall behind her, her skull banging against the brick. She cried out and he dropped her, smirking as she sank to the floor, tears rolling down her face as she clutched the back of her head.

“Serves you right for getting involved. Baby.” he taunted.

At the sight of blood on his sister’s hand, Steve managed to pull himself off the floor and rushed the bully with an enraged cry, only to once more be punched in the face. He barely managed to stop from standing on her, the move twisting his ankle and sending him sprawling next to her. A voice suddenly shouted down the alley, making all three children jump.

“Hey!”

The bully turned to tell the newcomer to mind his own business, only to have a fist smash into his face instead. He let out a loud wail as his front teeth were knocked from their sockets, his jaw making a loud snap as it dislocated. In seconds he took off running, his loud cries of pain fading as he made his way to the nearest person who would help him. Steve didn’t bother to watch him run, instead dropping next to his sister, cradling her face in his hands.

“Are you okay Beth?” he asked, his voice betraying his worry.

She let out a tiny whimper as she said no and he pulled her into an embrace, kissing the top of her head as her small body quivered against his own. Remembering somebody had helped them, Steve looked up to find a boy not much older than himself walking back to them after  making sure the bully had gone. The two boy’s eyes met and Steve nodded his head in thanks, receiving a small nod in return. Steve gently unwrapped his arms from Beth and helped her to her feet so he could look at her more closely, uncaring that his own injuries were worse. Her knee was badly grazed, her arm already bruising from the bully’s grasp and he could see a small cut on the back of her head from hitting the wall. Forcing down the rage in his chest, he gave her a warm smile.

“Did you get hurt anywhere else?” he asked her softly.

She shook her head and sniffled. It was then that she looked at the new boy, immediately mesmerised by his Prussian blue eyes that looked at her with a warmth that seemed to make them glow. He gave her a gentle smile and she felt her own mouth smile back, even as she shyly pressed herself further into Steve’s side. Steve’s arms tightened round her briefly before letting her go so he could extend his hand out.  
  
“Thanks for helping, I owe you one.” 

“Don’t mention it. If there’s one thing I hate, its people that pick on those smaller than them or who hit girls. I’m just glad you are both okay. Oh! My names James Barnes, but you can call me Bucky” The boy said as he took hold of Steve’s hand with his own, a grin on his face.

Steve returned Bucky’s grin as he released his hand.

“I’m Steve and this is my sister, Elizabeth.”

“Beth!” she argued, her lip forming a put that made Bucky’s smile deepen.

It was at that moment, a frantic woman with blonde hair pulled neatly into a bun came running into the alley. Her blue eyes fell on the Roger’s siblings and relief filled them.

“There you two are! I’ve been going crazy looking for you! What on earth happened to you both!?” she exclaimed as she took in the sight before her of both children bleeding.

“A boy was bullying them ma’am. I helped them make him leave.” Bucky answered, hoping to get the pair out of any trouble for getting into a fight.

She blinked at him as she noticed him for the first time. Bucky shuffled his feet, expecting reprimand or for her to tell him to leave, only to find himself shocked when she kissed his cheek.

“In that case, I owe you thanks. Lord knows these two get into far too much trouble, too stubborn to back down from a fight just like their father. Do you live nearby? You should come for tea one day as thanks for rescuing my babies.”

Bucky noticed Steve blush at being called a baby, while Elizabeth’s face scrunched up in distaste. Too humbled by the gratefulness of the lady in front of him, he didn’t grin, but sent them both a knowing glance so they knew he’d seen their reactions.

“I live just across the street ma’am and it would be my pleasure to come for tea.” He responded, his voice oozing a charm far beyond his years.

Sarah Rogers smiled down at the teenager in front of her, knowing that with his eyes, smile and charm he would certainly turn into a heartbreaker.

As she turned to tuck Steve and Elizabeth under each of her arms, she indicated for Bucky to follow them. Falling in to step with them, Bucky caught gazes with the siblings and the three broke out into matching grins, cementing the friendship that would take them through their lives.


	3. Bully

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is more aimed at looking at the relationships between Beth, Bucky and Steve as well as to build on Beth a bit more! Hope you like!

**_September 5 th, 1933. Brooklyn, New York._ **

Before meeting Bucky, Sarah Rogers worried greatly about her children. Shy, accident-prone Steve was always getting into fights he had no hope of winning and when not fighting, would shut himself away with his sketchbook while Beth, who was more outgoing but still shy, chose to shut herself away with her books and often got into trouble herself when she tried to stop the scraps her brother got in to. Within a month of meeting Bucky, the boy a year older than Steve had almost become part of the furniture of the Roger’s household. Sarah never once complained, too overjoyed to see her children laughing and playing, though they still had an uncanny knack for getting into fights. Thankfully, Bucky was usually never far behind to end the brawls that Steve started and Beth had attempted to finish.  

After five years, the two boys had become more akin to brothers, and though at times she knew it frustrated them, they never once failed to let Beth tag along, despite the fact she was four years younger. Even at school, the boys let her sit with them at lunch, ignoring the strange looks they received in doing so. If anyone ever asked why they let her join them, whichever boy asked would simply shrug and give the same answer.

“Because she’s family.”

The year Bucky moved up to high school, Steve and Beth continued sitting together, meeting with Bucky at the gates after every school day. They never told him that they were the talk of the school, with girls constantly asking Beth to introduce them to the handsome sixteen year old and Steve beaten up almost daily by the boyfriends of said girls, jealous of their infatuation with Bucky.

The day Steve moved up to high school to join his best friend, Beth was expecting to feel more upset, however, being more outgoing than her brother, she did have a very small group of friends who had already offered for her to join them at lunchtimes. On the first day of school, Steve and Bucky walked her to the gate and Steve gave her a hug.

“We’ll meet you here after school, okay squirt?” he asked.

She frowned at the name he’d only called her since meeting Bucky and punched him lightly in the arm, making him laugh.

“Okay punk.” She said, mimicking Bucky’s favourite word for the older sibling.

The pair waved as they began walking away and she smiled widely as she waved back. Spotting her friends, she began to make her way over to them, only to be stopped by one of the boys in the senior class.

“You’re friends with that Barnes kid, aren’t you?” He asked her.

 “What is it to you?” she replied, not liking where the conversation was heading.

The boy stepped up to her and she nervously stepped back out of instinct. Suddenly, she wished her friend and brother were there, but she quickly put the thought out of her mind; they weren’t there, this was her fight.

“It’s a lot to me. Tell him to stay away from here.”

Frowning, she felt her arms instinctively cross.

“Why?” she asked, against her better judgement.

“Just do it.” He growled before stalking off.

The moment he was out of sight, Beth saw her friend Mary run over to her, worry shining in her chocolate coloured eyes.

“Are you okay? I only just saw Henry talking to you and realised it can’t be anything good!”

Beth shook her head and looped arms with the other girl.

“It’s fine. He just wants me to ask Bucky not to come here any more.”

Beside her, Mary scoffed and rolled her eyes. Seeing the confusion on Beth’s face, she gave a small giggle.

“He’s jealous! He’s dating Jessica Palmer, who saw Bucky drop you off during last year and has now grown a slight obsession with him.”

After giving her friend a disbelieving look, only to realise it was the truth, Beth threw back her head and laughed loudly. It was such a ridiculous thing and she had no issues choosing to keep her mouth closed and not tell Bucky the message.

Another month passed and Beth heard nothing from Harry. He occasionally threw her the odd look, but she found it easier and easier to brush him off, until eventually, she was lulled in to a false sense of security. It was during a crisp December morning that she realised how stupid she had been to believe herself safe. After completing her dance class, she opted against being driven home by her friend, instead choosing to walk. It was only when she was halfway home that she realised she was being followed. She began picking up her pace, hearing the footsteps behind her doing so too. As she reached the park, she broke out into a sprint, but it was only seconds later that a body slammed in to her, throwing her to the ground. A pair of hands grasped the front of her coat and she was lifted off the floor to look into a pair of deep green eyes.

“I warned you to tell him to stay away.” A familiar voice growled.

Henry. Clearly he’d had enough of seeing Bucky and had finally decided to act. Beth, no longer the scared girl she’s once been, managed to raise her arm and punch him hard enough in the face to knock him off her. Not waiting for him to recover, she scrambled to her feet and raced towards her apartment block. She didn’t get far when Henry crashed in to her once again. This time, she managed not to fall, but it didn’t deter him. Before she had time to recover, something solid connected with her face and she whimpered as she dropped to her knees, cradling her face in her hand. Above her, Henry sneered.

“Now, you little bitch, tell him to stay away or that face of yours won’t stay pretty for long.”

He left after giving her a hard kick to the stomach that had her gasping for air, and she could only lay there shivering as he turned the corner, his hands in his pocket as he whistled a tune she once enjoyed but would hate for the rest of her life following the attack. It took almost an hour to regain her breathing, pick herself up and walk home, but thankfully, her mother had only just returned home herself and hadn’t had time to worry about her whereabouts. Instead, she had something more disturbing to worry about and as she saw her daughter’s face, the grocery bag she had been holding dropped to the floor. Steve came out of the apartment to investigate the source of the crash and his eyes widened at the state of his sister.

“What happened to you!?” Sarah asked as she bundled the sniffling twelve year old in to the living room.

“I was on my way home and a boy ran into me. I fell face first on to the floor.” She replied, wincing as Steve pressed an ice pack to the injury.

Steve and Sarah shared a look over her head, neither one believing the story when the mark on her face was clearly fist-shaped, but neither pressed her. They both knew that like Steve, she would only tell them the full story if and when she was ready to. Once they patched her up, Sarah made her way to the kitchen to make some cocoa and Beth moved in to the hallway to call Bucky. When he came to the phone, she took a deep breath to steady herself before speaking, hoping her voice didn’t tremble as much as she thought it did.

“I don’t want you walking me to school or walking me home from there anymore.” She said, her eyes filling with tears.

“Why not Bethie? Is everything okay?” he asked, hearing the tremble in her voice.

“I’m okay, I just want to walk with my friends from now on.”

Bucky frowned. He knew that her friends either lived the opposite direction or were driven to and from school, so her words puzzled him. He decided it best not to question her further.

“Okay, well I won’t come anymore. Can I speak to Steve before you hang up please?”

Without another word to him, she called out to Steve and was about to hide in the bathroom so she could hear when Sarah called her through to drink her cocoa, scuppering that plan. Steve waited until she was out of earshot before speaking. Bucky relayed her message to him and he frowned.

“I think someone beat her up Buck. She came home with a bust li and bruised face and claimed someone ran into her. This doesn’t feel right.”

“I agree with you. Do you think it could be one of those punks at her school? The boys that seem to think I’m stealing their girls?”

The thought made Steve so angry he knew the phone would have been crushed if it was made of anything weaker.

“Seems the most logical explanation. I don’t want to risk you going there again though if it is or they might hurt her again. I’ll collect her from now on.”

Bucky agreed, though he didn’t want to, and Steve ended the call. When he returned to the living room, he gave his sister a look that said he wanted the truth, but she simply returned with one of her own that told him there  was no way she was doing that and he sighed in defeat.

Sarah allowed Beth to stay at home the following day, but Steve still made his way to the school, grabbing Beth’s friend Mary as she was about to step in to the gate

“Hey Steve! Where’s Beth?” she asked.

Steve explained what happened the day before and Mary gaped up at him in disbelief.

“I can’t believe he went through with it! On the first day of term, Henry told her to tell Bucky to stay away as he was jealous that his girlfriend fancied him, but she ignored him. I’ll bet you all the money I have that he did it!”

Thanking her, Steve continued on to the high school and when he said the name to Bucky, the other teenager’s eyes darkened.

“Oh yeah, I know the guy.”

That afternoon, Harry Bennet discovered that pissing off Bucky Barnes was a bad idea, and pissing off Bucky Barnes by hurting Beth Rogers was a suicide mission. Steve watched on, eager to step in as it was his sister that had been hurt, but he held back, understanding that this fight was Bucky’s. When they arrived at the Roger’s apartment that evening, Bucky marched straight to Beth’s room after saying a quick hello to Sarah. Steve and Sarah never did find out what was said between the pair that day, but they did know one thing; Bucky continued taking her to and collecting her from school, and Beth never again tried to stop him, even when she reached high school.

 

 

 


	4. Shall We Dance?

**_June 12th, 1940. Brooklyn, New York._ **

Steve smirked at Beth as she hopped restlessly from one foot to the other. Seeing it, she elbowed him none-too-gently in the side and he chuckled even as he rubbed his ribs.

"Enough you two" their mother called from the apartment, knowing that they'd start a brawl if left to continue.

The pair grinned at each other before returning to watch out for their friend's car. It had been almost a year since Bucky moved to the countryside to live with his aunt and uncle on their farm. The plan was for him to inherit it, but Bucky declared that he wasn't interested and was coming home instead. Steve couldn't wait to have his friend back for more company. Beth just couldn't wait to see him full stop. She had a number of friends at school, but as with Steve, Bucky was her truest friend and they missed him dearly. Finally, the sound of a car engine filtered through the air and the siblings almost knocked each other down the stairs in their scramble to greet him as the car drew to a stop. Steve was the first to reach the car, dragging a laughing Bucky into a hug. Beth wasn't far behind, though she had a momentary pause when she set eyes on him.

' _Was he always so...handsome?'_ The nineteen year old thought to herself as she took in his broad shoulders and tanned arms.

She'd always known that he was attractive- her friends had pointed it out a number of times to her chagrin, but to her, he'd always just been Bucky. Now, however, the way his face lit up in joy as he looked over to her sent her heart into a rapid staccato. Bucky de-tangled himself from Steve and within two strides, Beth was in his arms, her head pressed against his chest as he tucked her neatly under his chin.

"Hey Bethie." He whispered, making her smile against him.

His familiar scent washed over her and she buried her face further into his chest, her heart swelling with emotion as she realised just how much she'd missed him. Above her, Bucky rested his cheek against her hair and inhaled deeply. The soft scent of vanilla he would only ever associate with her invaded his nose and his arms unconsciously tightened. They stayed in the embrace until Steve gave a small cough, forcing them apart. To Bucky's surprise, Beth had a blush spreading across her face, and she turned around to hide it from him. He glanced over at his best friend to see the smaller man giving them both a curious look. Rather than investigate, Bucky returned to Steve's side and flung an arm round his shoulder.

"I think we need to celebrate my return! Plus, we need to get Steve a girlfriend as I bet he hasn't tried any of the things I said to do!"

Steve bowed his head in shame and when she saw the teasing glint in Bucky's eyes, Beth nudged him in the stomach, making him grunt. The action made Steve let out a small laugh as Bucky rubbed his stomach.

"Watch out, Buck. Your absence has turned her violent." he warned.

Beth rolled her eyes before sticking her tongue out at her older brother, making him laugh once more. A noise from above had all three turning to see Sarah Rogers smiling down at them, arms outstretched towards Bucky, who wasted no time running to greet her. He grinned as she kissed his cheek and wrapped her arms round him.

"Hi Mrs Rogers." he said, his eyes glowing warmly.

She smiled back, motherly love shining from her eyes. Though he wasn't biologically hers, she considered him her son as much as she did Steve. When he released her to return to the siblings, she beamed at the trio. She knew her children missed Bucky terribly, despite trying to occupy themselves with other people and activities.

"Would you like to come in for a coffee?" she asked.

Bucky gave her an appreciative smile but shook his head.

"I'd love to, but I just asked these two if they want to come dancing with me and they agreed."

Sarah turned an amused glance towards her children, seeing Steve look horrified at the thought whilst Beth looked as though she was torn between laughing and hitting Bucky again.

"I see. Well then, have fun, just not too much okay?" she said with a laugh, knowing full well Bucky was prone to wandering off with whatever girl he'd danced the night away with and leaving Steve and Beth to fend for themselves.

The moment she was out of sight, Steve turned on Bucky.

"Why would you say that? Now we have to go!"

Bucky laughed loudly, ruffling Steve's hair.

"Aww, come on Steve, it might be fun this time!" Bucky argued.

Beth watched the pair fondly, shaking her head at their banter. She wasn't as opposed to dancing as Steve, in fact she rather enjoyed it. The only trouble she had was finding someone to dance with who wasn't using it as an excuse to take her home with them, and eventually, she gave up going altogether. The idea of partnering with Bucky made her stomach flutter and she had to fight another blush as she pictured his arms wrapped round her waist as he led her round the dance floor.  _'Knock it off Beth, he's virtually your brother!'_ She mentally berated, confused about the sudden emotions she was feeling towards the young man.  _'Still'_ , she though as he and Steve grinned at each other, ' _maybe it couldn't hurt to ask for one dance'_. So wrapped up in her thoughts about whether to ask him to dance with her, she failed to notice when Bucky slid up to her.

"Penny for your thoughts?" he asked.

Letting out a squeak of surprise, she whipped her head round to look at him.

"It's nothing. I was just thinking what to wear." She said.

"Ah, come on Beth; you'd be a knockout no matter what you wear." He claimed, failing to see how red her face turned.

Steve approached them, his perceptive eyes seeing the look on his sister's face. The inner big brother's voice in him didn't like it, arguing she was still too young for boys, and Steve was inclined to agree. It didn't matter that a number of her schoolmates were already married, some with children, his little sister was not on the market. Shaking his head, he made his way over to them.

"So, are we leaving?" he asked.

Beth gave him a wide eyed look.

"No! I need to get ready!" she cried and ran to the apartment, ignoring the exasperated look the two males shared.

Beth flung her wardrobe doors open, only to stand in front of her clothes with a crestfallen expression. Who was she kidding? She knew she didn't own anything that would make Bucky even want to dance with her, let alone knock him off his feet. A tap on the door made her jump. Hand over her heart when Sarah came in to the room holding a piece of material, she gasped.

"You scared me."

Her mother chuckled.

"I thought I'd you get ready and help you attract the attention of a certain handsome young downstairs." She commented with a knowing smile.

Beth felt her face redden and tried to hide it by turning her attention to her wardrobe once more. She heard Sarah sink on to the bed and after a few moments of silence, Beth sighed.

"I don't know what's going on with me." she admitted, her voice sounding lost.

Sarah stood and placed a kiss on her temple.

"I know how you feel. I'm going to tell you something I've never said to you before. Your father and I knew each other a long time before we became sweethearts. He moved away and when he moved back, I couldn't believe how much he'd changed. Everything I already liked about him became amplified and suddenly, I realised that I wanted to be with him forever. It was scary; we'd been friends for so long and I was worried that one wrong decision could not only ruin any chance of love, but destroy our friendship."

"It worked out in the end though." Beth interrupted.

"Indeed it did. I will give you the same advice my mother gave me; take that chance. For all you know, the reason you've been friends so long is because God has already decided you are to be together and him being away was the time you both needed to realise it."

Beth sighed.

"There's just one problem mom. Bucky is Bucky. I don't think he's ever had a relationship that's lasted longer than a few weeks and he dances with a different girl every time he goes out."

"Maybe he just hasn't found the right partner" her mother argued.

Before Beth could reply, Sarah continued speaking.

"I know how worried you are, but now I'm going to give you my own piece of advice. Dance with anyone who asks but don't dance with Bucky. Seeing another man with his hands on you will either push him to act on his feelings for you or he truly won't mind and then you'll know where you stand. And yes, before you ask, that is exactly how I convinced your father that I was the one for him." she finished with a wink.

Beth couldn't help but laugh at the image of her mother ensnaring her father in such a way. As Sarah watched Beth's face light up, she mused, not for the first time, that the man she married would never hurt her as all she had to do was smile at them and they'd fall hopelessly in love with her all over again. In her heart, Sarah knew that man was Bucky. She'd seen the pair of them earlier and there was no mistaking the attraction between the two, however, she couldn't help but worry that by the time the man she already considered a son realised his feelings, it would be too late. So, she was going to do everything she could to help her daughter catch more than just his attention. She reached out for the fabric she'd placed on the bed and held it out to Beth.

"This was the dress I wore the day I kissed your father for the first time. I want you to wear it."

Beth didn't have time to respond as her mother left the room so she could change. When she came back in, she smiled warmly as Beth spun in front of the mirror. She smiled warmly and hugged her daughter.

"Go and have fun. The boys are waiting."

Beth found the 'boys' waiting outside where she left them and she blew a quick breath, glad she hadn't taken too long. Steve was the first to notice her and his jaw dropped, suddenly seeing his sister as a young woman for the first time. Even the big brother in him fell silent, sadly accepting she was no longer a little girl. Beside him, Bucky saw the expression on Steve's face and turned to tease him about staring at dames, only to find himself sucking in a breath as he laid eyes on Beth. Her dress was a deep blue that reached just above her knees and hugged her curves without being distasteful. She'd borrowed a pair of her mother's cherry red heels, and Bucky knew those legs would be haunting many of his dreams to come. For once, her hair was pinned up so her golden waves bounced around her face, emphasising her lips painted the same shade as her shoes. She came over to them, the smell of vanilla stronger than normal, telling Bucky she had used the perfume he'd bought her two for her eighteenth birthday. He moved to wrap his arm round her, but Steve beat him to it. Instead, he settled for linking arms with her as she dragged the pair of them down the street to their local dance hall.

The moment they arrived, every male pair of eyes fell on Beth and Bucky's jaw clenched at the number of appreciative glances she received. A pain in his palm had him looking down and he realised his fists were clenched. Confused about his reaction, he released his hands and he excused himself to go to the bathroom. Either oblivious or simply ignoring the men around her, Beth pushed through the crowd to the last empty table in the back of the room. She claimed it by pushing Steve down into one of the vacant seats and he gave her a look of appreciation. He knew that she was appointing him in charge of ensuring nobody stole their table, in turn meaning he didn't have to dance. She sat next to him, a grin on her face as Bucky slid up behind them and tapped their shoulders.

"Drink or dance first?" he asked.

Both siblings decided on drinks and Bucky disappeared into the crowd to get them. Within seconds, an attractive man strode over to the table and smiled flirtatiously at Beth.

"Would you like a dance?" he asked.

Beth returned his smile, but shook her head.

"I'm really sorry but we only just got here. Maybe later?" she replied.

Her answer surprised Steve and he fought to keep it off his face. As the man grinned and dipped his head before leaving, he leaned in closer to her.

"You never accept or partially accept an invite to dance."

Beth shrugged, smiling slightly as she watched Bucky narrowly avoid spilling their drinks over a woman as he tripped on the way back to them. She lowered her voice as he neared so he wouldn't overhear her.

"Maybe I've decided not to wait for the person I want to dance with to ask me."

Bucky finally returned to the table, cutting off any reply Steve had and placed their drinks down, giving his best friend a questioning glance.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine Buck."

Shrugging, Bucky drank from his beer and a few minutes later, accepted an offer to dance from the same woman he'd almost soaked. Beth watched him go and pushed down a wave of jealousy. Sipping from her own drink, she caught gazes with the man from earlier. Seeing her smile, he made his way over and offered her his arm. It turned out he wasn't so bad to dance with, though Beth had to stop him from stepping on her a few times as well as slap his hand away the two times he attempted to slide it lower than her waist. After he decided to move on to another woman, Beth returned to the table and Steve gave her a strange look.

"What?" she asked as she finished her drink.

"Who is it you're waiting for Beth?" he asked.

Beth placed the glass on the table but before she could speak, Bucky dropped down in the vacant seat next to her. He grinned at Steve, however his smile fell slightly as he turned to Beth.

"Have fun dancing?" he asked, his words sounding forced.

"Not really. He kept trying to step on my feet."

Bucky sniggered, a sense of relief filling him at her words. He couldn't explain why, surely he should be happy to see her have fun?

"Well, maybe you need to find someone who knows what they're doing" he commented.

She felt one of her eyebrows raise in response, and saw Steve's expression mirrored her own. ' _Is he...jealous?'_ she mused to herself. Her mother's words rang through her mind and she gave Bucky a flirtatious smile.

"You're right." she said, standing up.

Bucky began to stand with her, thinking she was about to ask him to dance, only to sit back down in disbelief when she sauntered over to anther man at the bar, moving to the dance floor with him seconds later. His jaw clenched again as the man placed his hands on her waist and he had to fight not to go and rip them apart. ' _God, what is happening to me?'_ he thought. Beside him, Steve realised their mother must have also seen Beth's changing feelings towards Bucky and likely had something to do with Beth's behaviour. Bucky stood to dance again with the woman from earlier, but as the evening went on, Steve noticed that the older man's gaze barely strayed from Beth. He fought a grin as he realised that it seemed Beth wasn't the only one with changed emotions, but she was the only one aware or willing to accept it. Sipping his own beer, he watched his sister as she danced with a third man, frowning when he saw her pull his hand away from her buttock.

As Beth danced, she never noticed the pairs of eyes watching her, one with amusement, the other with increasing anger as he saw her partner grow more and more hands on towards her the more he drank. Eventually, Beth found herself needing a drink and a break from him. She called out over the music to tell her partner, but as she tried to move away, his grip tightened. She tugged her arm, trying to break his grasp, but he pulled her closer to him.

"Hey sweetheart, where ya going?" he asked, voice slurring from the alcohol.

"I said I need a drink." She replied.

"Aww, gimmie a smooch first!" he shouted, pulling her closer to him.

She relaxed in his grip, allowing him to come close enough for her to swing her knee up and slam it into his groin. Two things happened; he fell to the floor with a loud yell of pain and someone slid up behind her, ushering her back to the table where Steve was watching, eyes wide.

"Are you okay?" He asked her as she sat next to him.

She nodded and watched as the man was thrown out of the club by a group of males that had witnessed the whole thing. One waved to her to let her know it was safe and she sent them all a grateful smile, her lips trembling. All she wanted to do now was go home. She wrapped her arms around herself and Steve put a hand on her shoulder. Bucky joined them with a glass of water in hand, his eyes shining with worry.

"Sorry I rushed off, I wanted to get you this. Are you okay Bethie?"

She took the water and gave a shaky smile to let him know she was fine, but he didn't miss the sheen of water in her eyes. She sighed sadly and placed the glass back on the table.

"I just wanted to dance with someone special." She admitted.

Her eyes made contact with Bucky's and he suddenly realised she'd only been dancing with the men to make him jealous. Smiling warmly at her and wanting to kick himself, he stood and offered her his hand. She took it and he pulled her gently to her feet, swaying her in time with the ballad playing in the background. As they danced, she eventually relaxed in his arms, her head resting on his chest. She felt his cheek against her hair and smiled, her arms tightening round him. As the song finished, making way for a faster paced tune, they separated.

"Feel better?" Bucky asked her softly.

She nodded and he looked down at her, his eyes resting on her lips. As if an invisible force was pushing his head down, he began to lower his face to hers until their breath began to mingle. The moment was interrupted by the woman held been dancing with all night latching on to Bucky's arm, asking him to dance again. For the first time in his life, Bucky found himself wanting nothing more than to tell her to leave so he could finish what he was about to start with Beth. Before he could act on his urge, Beth stepped away from him with a sad smile.

"You should dance with her. I think Steve's about ready to head off soon anyway and I'm pretty tired. Don't let us spoil your night."

She reached up on tiptoes and her lips pressed against his cheek fleetingly before she disappeared too fast for him to stop her and tell her she was the only thing not spoiling his night. By the time he made his way through the crowd, the table was empty, Steve and Beth gone.

 


	5. Worry

**_June 1 st, 1941. Brooklyn, New York_ **

It was the coughing that woke her up. It started soft and quiet, until eventually it filtered into Beth’s dream. Eyes flickering open, she let out a deep sigh and rolled in the bed to wake Steve and give him his medication, only to find his bed empty, the covers thrown aside. Frowning, she stood and walked into the hall, throwing on her dressing gown as she followed the coughing, expecting to find Steve in the kitchen to get a drink as he usually did when his asthma was bad. It wasn’t until she found herself standing in the doorway of her mother’s bedroom, watching as Steve pressed a cold compress to Sarah Roger’s grey, clammy skin, that she realised something was very, _very_ wrong. Sensing her behind him, Steve turned to face her, a grim worry in his face that had her stepping forward to grasp her mother’s hand. She’d been sick with a chest infection for two weeks, but the past few days she had been getting better. Beth wanted to ignore the feeling of dread in her stomach, but found that the more she tried to push it away, the more violently it came back.

“She was okay earlier.” She murmured, watching Sarah’s expression change to one of pain even as she slept.

“I know. I heard her start coughing again about two hours ago.  I was still up finishing one of my drawings when it started”

Beth frowned, and he knew she wanted to say something about not waking her up, but instead, she pursed her lips and pressed a hand to their mother’s head.

“She’s red hot.” She said, voice trembling as she pulled her hand away.

“I know. I’ve been trying to cool her for a while but it isn’t working.”

Steve’s voice sounded helpless and tears threatened to push through Beth’s eyelids, but she forced them back. She thought back to the many times she and her mother had nursed a sick Steve, but even then she couldn’t remember a time he had such a high temperature. Knowing it wouldn’t be long before it killed her, Beth wracked her mind for any ideas, until she suddenly had a flicker of a memory from when she was very small.

“Steve, I need you to run the bath. Don’t let the water get too hot. It needs to be as lukewarm as possible.”

She could have sang when Steve left to do as told without any questions, but she turned to face her mother once more, eyes shining with fear and worry. Sarah Rogers was never sick. She was the rock in the family. When Steve returned, she instructed him to help pick Sarah up off the bed and though it was a struggle, the pair  successfully carried her through to the bathroom and lay her down in the cool water. Within seconds, Sarah began shivering violently, and Beth had to hold Steve back to stop him from pulling her out.

“Don’t. Shivering means the fever is breaking.”

Nodding, Steve stepped back, but she could see he was more like a caged animal, ready to spring to action at a second’s notice. It took a few more moments, but Sarah suddenly took in a large gasp of air, her eyes flying open. Beth gave a deep sigh of relief, crouching down to help Sarah sit up.

“Why am I in the bath?” she asked, teeth chattering.

“You had a fever mom and we couldn’t get it down quickly enough.”

Despite the shivering and the fact she felt more sick than she’d ever been in her life, Sra smiled proudly at her daughter and reached up to cup her cheek.

“Thank you sweetheart. You too Steve.” She said as her son crouched down next to Beth.

He gave her a tiny smile, his eyes still shining, and between them, the siblings managed to pull her back out of the water and into her room. Steve held Sarah steady whilst Beth dressed her in a dry nightdress and the pair carefully laid her back in her bed. She fell into a sleep seconds later, but within minutes, the coughing returned. Steve watched Beth as she sat on the bed and reached to touch her shoulder.

“Go back to bed. I’ll keep an eye on her.”

The only response he got was a shake of the younger woman’s head, her eyes turning to rock hard determination. Sighing, Steve went into the kitchen and carried two dining chairs into the room with him. He placed them either side of the bed before settling in to his own with a heavy sigh. He knew it was going to be a long night.

When Bucky arrived at the Rogers house the next morning, he raised a surprised eyebrow to see the milk and paper sitting on the doorstep. He checked his watch again, making sure he had the time right. 9am, the time he usually arrived to walk Beth to work. Reaching the door, he was even more surprised to find it locked. He wasted no time in letting himself in with the spare key they kept under a brick by the front door and moved through the apartment until he found the family in Sarah’s room. He immediately knew something was wrong when he saw the three of them still sleeping, Steve with his head dropped on his chest, one hand holding Sarah’s left hand whilst Beth lay with her head resting on the bed, her hand grasping Sarah’s other hand. Sarah herself was sleeping, but with each inhale, her chest rattled. Frowning, Bucky made his way back to the front door, bringing in the milk and paper before he then turned to the phone and called for the doctor. He was just placing the receiver back on the stand when a dishevelled Steve walked into the room, rubbing at the back of his neck.

“Hey, It thought I hear your voice,” The younger man greeted. “Who were you talking with?”

“I called for a doctor to come and see your mom. Don’t worry, I’ll pay for it.” He said when he saw the panic on Steve’s face, knowing the other man could never afford the visit.

Breathing a soft sigh of thanks, he threw his arms briefly round his friend.

“Thank you Buck”

Bucky clapped him on the back before instructing him to have a shower and go to bed. As soon as Steve had left the room, the older man picked up the phone once more to inform his and Beth’s workplace that they wouldn’t be in and to do the same for Steve’s school. When Steve didn’t return, Bucky looked in to the room he shared with Beth to see Steve already passed out. He chuckled before moving to Sarah’s room. Beth hadn’t moved and after ensuring she was in a deep enough sleep, Bucky slipped one arm under her legs, the other across her back and lifted her into his arms, carrying her to her room to place her gently on the bed. He gazed softly at her as she snuggled into her pillow and placed a blanket over her before waiting for the doctor.

The doctor arrived two hours later and the door knocking woke both siblings. As Steve stumbled out of bed, Beth gazed confusedly round the room, wandering how she had made it to her bed when she was in her mom’s room last she checked. Remembering her mom, she also flew out of bed, to collide with Bucky as she left her room. He steadied her and gave her a small smile.

“You really need to stop ding that Bethie or I’ll start thinking you do it on purpose.” He joked, hoping to ease her spirit.

It worked and she gave him a playful punch to the shoulder, a grin on her face.

“The only thing that’ll think that is your big ego.”

Bucky snorted in amusement and pulled her into a hug as he had done with Steve earlier that day. She returned it, tears burning in her eyes once more. When he let go, she kissed his cheek before moving towards Sarah’s room to await the doctor’s diagnosis.

 


	6. Losing is Never Easy

**_June 4 th, 1941. Brooklyn, New York City_ **

Tuberculosis.

Three days after the diagnosis, Beth’s head and heart were still spinning and every breath she took felt like she was breathing underwater. The doctor had told them with a sympathetic look that the illness was just too advanced for him to do anything and all they could do was make sure she was as comfortable as could be as they said their goodbyes. Steve had locked himself away for almost two days and Beth had cried herself hoarse the first day. The only thing she was grateful for was that apart from one afternoon, Sarah had slept through the whole ordeal, a blessing as it would have broken her to see her children falling apart. Even now as Beth brushed Sarah’s hair, the other woman didn’t stir.

Bucky, as always, had been their rock through the days. The moment the word left the doctor’s lips, he had Beth in his arms and held her tight as she broke down into heavy sobs. Only once she had stopped did he then hug Steve, though Steve had pulled away quickly and disappeared into their bedroom. After that, Bucky had taken charge, calling Beth’s workplace and Steve’s school to arrange for both to be granted indefinite leave while their mother was sick and looked after Sarah the first day while both siblings shut themselves away. Even after Beth had returned to the room to continue looking after Sarah, he returned each day to ensure they were both eating as well as sitting with Sarah during the afternoon to let the pair sleep. If Beth hadn’t admitted to herself months ago that she was hopelessly in love with him, watching him hum one of  Sarah’s favourite songs after the sickly woman woke up coughing up blood the first night would have been the moment she had. Bucky glanced over his shoulder when he sensed someone there and she raised a hand in greeting.

“I’ll take over. You should get home. I’m sure a number of your dancing partners are looking for you.” She said, her voice teasing even as her heart clenched painfully at the knowledge her statement was likely to be true.

He gave her a wry grin, but shook his head as he stood and stretched his back.

“I doubt they are. To be honest I haven’t been for a while so they’ve probably all moved on. I blame you for being such a good dance partner; everyone else pales in comparison” he joked with a small wink.

She gave a weak smile as her heart fluttered and he bent to kiss her cheek, his cologne invading her  senses, giving her a sense of comfort she would only ever associate with him. As he brushed past her, his hand touched hers and for a blissful moment, their fingers intertwined, his hand squeezing hers reassuringly.

“I’ll be back in the morning, okay?

She nodded, her throat too thick with emotion to speak. With one last squeeze of her hand, he made his way out of the house after stopping to say goodbye to Steve.

…

Sarah died in the early hours of the following morning. Beth knew it was time when her mother’s eyes opened and she smiled up at her daughter with a clarity that had been missing the past week.

“Hello baby girl. Where’s Steve?” she asked.

Swallowing, Beth stuck her head out of the door and beckoned Steve when he looked up from the picture he was drawing. He saw the sorrow in her eyes and expected the worst, only to find himself confused when he saw Sarah smiling at him from the bed. He glanced over at Beth, who only shook her head, hand rubbing furiously at her eyes to stop her tears.

“My dear, sweet Steve and Beth” Sarah said as each of her children took their seat next to her and took hold of one of her  hands as they had done every night so far.

“You two need to be there for each other. You need to protect each other and make sure that you stay strong for me. I love you both so much it physically hurts. You two are what made my life so special and I know that you, my babies, are both destined for great things.”

As she finished speaking, her eyes fluttered shut and within seconds, she took her final breath, her hands falling limp. Thick, hot tears streamed silently down Beth’s face as she leaned forward and kissed her mother’s cheek. She turned to look at Steve and saw he was holding back tears of his own. Knowing he wouldn’t let them fall with her in the room, and unable to stay any longer, she hurried out into the hallway, practically running to pick up the phone. She prayed there would be an answer at the other end as she heard her brothers sobs filter through from the bedroom. The phone seemed to ring on and on and she was at the point of breaking into hysterics when it was finally answered.

“Hello?” came the voice rough and thick with sleep.

“Bucky” she whimpered, unable to stop her tears at the sound of his voice.

“I’m on my way” was all he said and the line fell dead.

The fact he was there within ten minutes told her he’d broken a number of laws to get to them. He didn’t even shut the door behind him, more focused on the fact that Beth was standing in the hall with the phone still in her hand. As gently as he could, he took the phone from her and placed it on the cradle before his arms locked round her as she continued to cry silently against him. He waited until she pulled away from him before he made his way to Steve. The younger man was still sitting in his chair, and Bucky could see that though he was no longer crying, he had been, his eyes red and swollen, fresh tears staining his cheeks. Bucky grasped his shoulder and Steve took a steady breath.

“It’s not fair” was all Steve said.

“I know buddy. I know.” Bucky reassured.

Beth joined them and stood next to Steve, her arms round his shoulders. They remained like that for another hour before Steve stood and kissed Sarah’s forehead.

“I’m calling the doctor.” He declared and strode out of the room.

….

The funeral took place two days later. Steve left for the cemetery before Bucky arrived and Beth hurried out after him, sending Bucky a silent apology for them not being there. When they returned, Bucky was waiting for them at the bottom of the apartment stairs. Without saying a word, he clapped Steve’s shoulder and gave Beth a hug. Beth wanted to smile at Bucky’s offer to stay with them, but her heart was too heavy to pull her lips up. Instead, she watched as Steve declined the  offer and Bucky grasped his shoulder once more.

“I’m with you pal, to the end of the line.”

Steve gave Bucky a soft smile before nodding and entering the apartment. Beth went to follow but Bucky’s hand on her arm stopped her.

“I mean it you know? I’m with you both. I’m with you to eternity.”

Unable to hold herself back, Beth threw her arms round his neck and drew him close to her.

“Thank you Bucky.” She whispered in his ear.

She felt him press a kiss to the side of her head.

“Any time, Bethie.”


	7. People Grieve in Different Ways

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks you everyone for your lovely reviews! I'm glad people are enjoying the series and hope to continue enjoying!

**_November 12th 1941. Brooklyn, New York_ **

The past few months had been hard for the Roger's siblings. After their mother's funeral, Steve all but closed himself off from the world; withdrawing from art school and his work, leaving Beth the only breadwinner of the family. Beth, understanding her brother was grieving differently to her, ploughed on and took up a second job, but being a woman, had a lower wage than Steve had been getting. As a result, though food was still ending up on the kitchen table, only Steve was still eating the same amounts he had before their mother passed away. So absorbed in his grief, he failed to notice the gaunt expression on Beth's face as the lack of food started affecting her, but she didn't let it show, knowing her sickly brother needed the nutrition more than she ever would.

For three months it continued, with Beth losing more and more weight, able to hide it from Steve by applying make up to hide the sickliness of her face and only wearing bulky clothes when he was around so he wouldn't see the bones that were beginning to protrude unhealthily from her tight skin. She ignored the worried looks from her friends, and as autumn began, she breathed a sigh of relief, able to blame the cold for the extra clothing. One person wasn't so blind to her condition, but though he kept one eye on her, Bucky's attention was more focussed on Steve's isolation, causing him to see just how bad she truly was. it wasn't until they entered September that he really started to take notice of the way Beth's cardigan seemed to engulf her where before, it fit nicely, or the few times he caught her stomach growling only for her to shrug and say she would eat soon. I wasn't until she stopped hugging him goodbye that he truly grew concerned for her, finally taking his focus off Steve to really take note of the younger sibling. The first evening, he followed her to her room and as she slid off her cardigan, he fought to suppress a gasp of shock. She was far too thin. He tried to speak to Steve, only for the older Rogers to shrug him off, stating they'd both cut back on food to save money. Bucky wasn't reassured; what he'd seen went far beyond cutting back a little on food.

"Beth, are you okay?" he asked her one day towards the end of September after watching her stand up, only to reach out for the sofa to balance herself a second later.

She immediately smiled at him and nodded, though he didn't miss the way her eyes had darkened as she tried to refocus herself.

"I'm fine Bucky, I just haven't been sleeping well lately that's all." She reassured before hurrying out of the room.

Bucky gazed after her worriedly, and when he glanced over at Steve, he felt relieved to see that for the first time in months, the other man also had a frown on his face, replacing the usual blank look he'd been sporting.

"You're finally noticing too, huh?" Bucky asked, his voice soft, but Steve didn't fail to notice the tint of anger there.

"She said she's just tired, Buck." He replied nonchalantly, before standing and moving to his room before Bucky could reply.

Normally, Bucky would have let him go, but the thread of patience finally snapped and he stomped off after his best friend, shutting the door behind him.

In the kitchen, Beth heard their words and her fist clenched as rage washed over her. She wasn't sure who she was most angry at; herself for getting to that state, Bucky for noticing, or Steve for not caring. All she knew was that she felt both furious and helpless. As tears began welling in her eyes, she felt her head begin to spin violently, her stomach lurching at the same time. She managed to keep the contents of her stomach down, however, the effort to do so resulted in her head spinning further, until her knees buckled. She felt herself drop, too weak to notice the corner of the table in front of her. With a sickening crack, her head collided with the wood, instantly sending her into unconsciousness. She crumpled to the floor, blood slowly trickling down her head on to the white tiles, the sound totally unnoticed by the two arguing men in the other room.

...

"You know, you're a real punk, you know that?" Bucky hissed, keeping his voice low so Beth wouldn't hear.

Steve shrugged and Bucky lunged for him, barely refraining from slamming him against the wall. Instead, he shook the smaller man a few times.

"I've had enough Steve! I know your mom died, but you have got to move on and get back to reality! Beth has done so much for you the past few months and what have you done in return? Nothing but wallow in your own self pity! She is literally wasting away out there, but you couldn't give a crap!"

Steve's expression turned to guilt and Bucky sighed,letting him go. He ran a shaking hand through his hair to calm himself as Steve sat back on his bed. Seeing he wasn't going to say anything, Bucky let out a huff and moved back to the door, stopping only to say one last thing over his shoulder.

"She's not eating Steve. I think she's going without food so you an keep your health up. You may not care, but I will say this. If you don't step up and start being her brother again, she  **will** end up joining your folks."

As Steve's bedroom door clicked shut, behind him, Bucky glanced round the room and frowned, finding it strange that Beth hadn't returned to the room. Normally, he would assume she was making coffee, however, she would have guessed the pair of them were arguing and wouldn't have done so. Thinking back on the state she was in earlier, he moved to the other room, calling out to her as he approached.

"Bethie, you okay kiddo?" he asked.

The silence that followed had him launching himself to the door. His foot slipped on something wet as he stood on the tiles and he crashed to the floor with a grunt. He lifted his hand, heart jumping in to his throat to see it slicked red with blood, not the water he was expecting. He glanced up, and all colour drained from his face to see Beth's limp form on the ground in front of him.

"Shit! STEVE, CALL AN AMBULANCE!" he roared as he shuffled to her pulling her into his arms to try and find the source of the bleeding and stop it.

"Come on Beth, wake up sweetheart." He pleaded, heart in his mouth as he tried to rouse the woman that felt too light in his arms, her skin a sickly shade of grey that had him blinking back tears.

Hearing Bucky's cry, Steve darted from his room and froze in the doorway at the sight of his baby sister in Bucky's arms, the blood now turning his shirt a deep crimson that matched the floor and her hair. His mind immediately blanked, with one thought running through it ' _This is your fault.'_  Bucky looked up and from the look on the smaller man's face, knew exactly what he was thinking. He wasn't about to let him do it though, not until Beth was in the hospital.

"STEVE! AMBULANCE, NOW!" he yelled again.

The shout broke Steve from his thoughts and he rushed to the phone. Once the call was made he came back to the kitchen to see Bucky had lifted Beth from the floor and was carrying her to the living room. Knowing what he was about to do, Steve rushed ahead of him and cleared the table so Beth could be laid down on it. As Bucky took off to the kitchen once more, Steve reached down to brush her hair from her face, his eyes misting over as she let out a soft moan.

"I'm so sorry Beth." He whispered, swallowing down the lump in his throat.

Bucky came back in, arms loaded with tea towels. He thrust a handful at Steve.

"We need to stop the bleeding."

The pair worked together to press the pieces of fabric to the gash Bucky found in the back of her head. When Steve asked, Bucky shrugged and guessed that she must have split the skin open when her skull met the floor tiles. It wasn't long before Beth was being loaded into an ambulance, with Steve jumping in after her. Bucky followed closely behind in his car, barely able to breath the whole way there.

...

When Beth woke, the first thing she noticed was the throbbing in her head as she tried to move.

"Ow." She grumbled, her voice rough with sleep.

"Beth?"

She cracked open an eye and saw Steve hovering next to her bed, one arm tentatively reached out to her as if he was afraid she would reject his touch. Knowing he wouldn't come closer unless she initiated it, she reached out for him and took his hand. With a sigh of relief, he gripped her tighter as he sank down onto the bed, eyes filled with concern.

"Where am I?" she asked, noticing for the first time that she wasn't at home.

"You're in the hospital." He replied, voice unable to speak any more words.

"How?" she asked again.

The angered voice that cut over any reply Steve had immediately brought tears to her eyes.

"You pushed yourself too far, let yourself get too malnourished and passed out. Gave yourself a good whack on the head and gave us a good heart attack thinking you were going to die. That's how."

Beth looked over at Bucky who had clearly just entered the room. He looked the most dishevelled she'd ever seen him; his hair messy as if he'd been constantly running his hands through it, his clothes creased. His eyes flashed in both anger and disappointment and seeing it aimed at her made her eyes sting. She dropped her head, hot tears running down her face. She heard clothes shuffling and a warm hand cupped her chin, forcing her to look up and meet Bucky's gaze. The look her gave her was indescribable, but the one thing she definitely felt from him was fear; he'd genuinely been scared that they would lose her. Without saying a word, his eyes softened and he leaned forward to press a kiss on her cheek.

"Don't ever scare us like that again."

"I won't" she whispered and he let her go to sit back in one of the chairs propped next to the bed.

Beth turned her attention back to Steve and saw he had a look of guilt on his face.

"Steve…"

"Don't." He interrupted. "This is my fault. If I hadn't left my job, you would have been okay."

"Please, Steve. I chose to do it. It isn't your fault."

He didn't reply, simply stood and moved over to her, wrapping her in his arms.

"I'm going back to work tomorrow. No more wallowing. No more neglecting you. You're all I have left and I nearly lost you. It's not happening again, I promise."

Beth found herself unable to reply, her tears coming too thick and fast to do anything but press tighter in his shoulder as silent sobs tore through her body. A second pair of arms wrapped round her other side and the trio sat there for a long time, drawing comfort from each other as finally, they all allowed the grief for losing Sarah and worry for Beth come through. When they finally separated, it felt as though a large weight had been lifted from them all. As Beth grasped a hand from each of them, both hers and Steve's eyes hardened in determination. Bucky watched them and felt a smile tug on his face. Though he'd never been so scared or worried about the pair he considered family before, he knew it would never happen again. He knew they'd be okay.

 _' I_   _just wish it had taken something a little bit less extreme than Beth trying to cave her head in for_   _them to finally snap out of it.'_ He thought to himself as he rolled his eyes at the pair of idiots he loved more than anything else. He sat down in the chair beside her and was about to reach for her hand when the door opened and in stepped a tall blonde man.

“Beth, what happened?” he asked as he made his way to her and to Bucky’s horror, kissed her.

“Who..?” he found himself asking.

“Oh, Bucky, Steve, this is Mark. I met him at work a few months ago and we’ve been courting since. I haven’t really spoken to you two enough to tell you”

Both men frowned at her, but quickly looked away with guilty expressions, knowing it was their own faults that they didn’t know. As Beth smiled warmly at Mark, Steve and Bucky looked at each other,, both with eyebrows raised.

 _“This could get interesting.”_ They simultaneously thought, though each for very different reasons.

For Bucky, it would be interesting seeing Beth juggle a fella on top of everything else. For Steve, it would be interesting seeing how much Bucky’s protective nature would shine through as time passed.

 


	8. Officially at War

**_December 7 th, 1941. Brooklyn, New York City_ **

Steve and Beth were enjoying a quiet breakfast when Bucky burst through the door. Breathing heavily, his hair out of place from running, he dropped a newspaper on the table and sank down on one of the empty chairs. Beth immediately jumped up and hurried to the sink, cheeks dimpling at the appreciative look Bucky gave her as she handed him a glass of water. She moved back over to the table and glanced over Steve’s shoulder, gasping at the headline sprawled across the front page.

**“Bombing at Pearl Harbour. USA is officially at war!”**

At once, her breathing stopped and she felt an icy hand clamp down on her heart. She looked over at the two men in the room with her, fear immediately overwhelming her. She’d heard the stories; thousands of men from Europe were already dead, with more being forced to join the fight every day. She knew her brother, knew he would sign up immediately. Thankfully, she suspected he would be rejected, but the fear only increased as her eyes drifted to Bucky. He was the perfect person for war; he was strong, fast and quick thinking. She had no issues picturing him as a decorated officer, but the image kept shattering itself, replaced with a vision of him lying in the middle of a war-torn battlefield, his eyes clouded with the haze of death.

Unable to stay in the same room as them any longer, she hurried to her bedroom, wrapping her arms round herself as she struggled to keep her breathing steady. Tears clouded her vision and she blinked them back, determined not to let them fall. She knew she was on the verge of a panic attack, but couldn’t do anything about it, the images continuing to play over in her mind. All this time, she’d hoped that the war wouldn’t make it this far, but now it was here. She wished their mother was still around. Sarah would have known what to say or do, but Beth was clueless. She sank to the floor as the tears finally began to fall, the sorrow of losing her mother and the prospect of losing her brother and best friend becoming too much.

She didn’t notice anyone come in to the room until a pair of arms slid round her from behind, a small chin propped on her shoulder. She turned and wrapped her arms round him, burying her head in his neck and drawing in his usual scent of paint.

“It’ll be okay.” Her brother soothed, rubbing her back.

“How can you say that? It won’t be long before you and Bucky enlist. I know it.” She mumbled into his shirt.

He didn’t reply, but she felt the soft sigh against her skin. Steve glanced up and saw Bucky leaning against the doorframe, a look of sympathy on his face. He shared a look with Steve before joining the pair of them, wrapping his arms round both Rogers’.

The trio stayed in the embrace for what felt like hours, until a knock at the door pulled them apart. Steve went to answer the door, leaving Bucky with Beth still wrapped up in his arms, her head rested against his chest.

“I promise I’ll look after him.” He said to Beth, his voice solemn.

He felt her nod against him before she pulled away to look him squarely in the eye.

“You’d best look after yourself too, Buck. It’ll destroy me if anything happens to either of you.”

He flashed her his boyish grin and pulled her against him again, briefly squeezing her before he let her go. She returned the grin with a shaky smile, reaching up to straighten up his shirt that she’d creased.

They both moved into the living room to see Steve close the door, turning to face them with a grim expression, hand clutching a leaflet.

“What’s that?” Bucky asked, indicating to the piece of paper.

“A list of times and locations for enlistment.” The younger man replied.

Bucky let out a low whistle and moved forward to read the information.

“Well, you can’t say the government doesn’t move fast. The first date on here is tomorrow.”

Though her heart clenched again Beth didn’t cry. Instead, she stepped forward and too the paper off the taller man, scanning the dates.

“I know it’s selfish but can you both wait until after my birthday to sign up? It’s only a month away.”

Steve nodded in agreement, but she didn’t fail to see the glint in his eyes that had her stomach plummeting with the knowledge he was going to try at the first possible chance he got. Bucky also nodded and gave her a warm look.

“That’s no issue with me. It gives me chance to hit the gym and prepare as well as spend some time with my parents.”

Beth gave him a fond look before looking back at Steve, whose expression had turned pensive.

“Uh-oh, I know that look. What crazy idea is your head concocting Steve?” she asked, her voice teasing.

He gave a wry smile, but the seriousness in his eyes didn’t dim. He glanced over at Bucky and opened his mouth to say something, only to close it again, his face scrunching as if it was a bad idea. Bucky tilted his head and rolled his eyes.

“Spill it.” He demanded playfully.

“I was thinking that I should go to the gym with you. It can’t hurt to practice too right?”

Both Beth and Bucky’s eyes widened slightly. He looked at them and wanted to both laugh and get angry.

“So Bucky can train but I can’t?” he asked defensively.

Bucky was the first to recover and punched him on the shoulder.

“C’mon Steve, don’t be like that. Sure you can come, I mean God knows you need to learn to fight properly.” He jested, grinning at his best friend.

Beth sighed and shook her head.

“He does have a point I guess. Mind if I come too?”

This time it was the men’s turn to gawp at her. She shrugged.

“What? If you bozos are heading off to get blown up, isn’t it only fair that I learn to defend myself properly? After all, my big strong protectors won’t be here to do it for me!” she said, a wide smirk on her face.

Bucky threw back his head and laughed loudly, Steve joining seconds later.

“I suppose that is a very true point.” Steve agreed once he finally calmed.

“Then it’s settled. We start training after lunch.” Bucky decided, smiling at the pair he considered family.

…

_Thirteen days later_

A loud smack had Steve spinning round from the punch bag he’d been hitting, his jaw dropping to see Beth laying on her back with a dazed expression, Bucky on top of her panting hard. Ignoring the protest from the guy holding the bag, he ran over to them, worry for his sister overriding his actions. Without even thinking, he slid into the ring and barrelled into Bucky, sending the older man flying to the side.

“Woah, what the hell!” Bucky yelled as Steve’s fist connected with his jaw.

“You hurt her!” Steve yelled, aiming another punch.

A hand shot out and grabbed Steve’s wrist, pulling him sharply away from Bucky. He looked up to argue, words failing at the angry glare he faced.

“Jeeze, Steve are you TRYING to get kicked out!” Beth shouted at him.

He flinched at the severity of her tone. She stepped closer to him, jabbing a finger painfully in his chest. He took a step back, but she went with him.

“We were training you idiot! I just moved slightly wrong and the only way to stop me from really hurting myself was for Bucky to drop me to the floor!”

She’d never seen Steve deflate so quickly, shame replacing the anger on his face. Her own anger fading, she pulled him into a brief hug before releasing him with a smile.

“Try not to forget I am a big girl that can handle my own fights okay?”

Steve reluctantly returned the smile.

“Sure thing. As long as you remember that as long as you’re my little sister, I’ll fight for you.”

She stuck her tongue out in response and he let out a small chuckle. Bucky watched the pair and with a roll of his eyes, slung an arm round each of their shoulders.

“Okay, enough with the mushiness. I think we’ve done enough training now, how about we go dancing?” he asked, already predicting their reactions.

On cue, Steve went wild eyed and jerked away with a loud ‘NO!’ and Beth simply shook her head. Bucky grinned, ignoring the pair staring after him as he walked away from them.


	9. Not a Very Merry Christmas

**_December 24 th 1941\. Brooklyn Recruiting and Induction Center, New York_ **

“Steve, I really don’t feel comfortable here.”

Steve sighed and gave his best friend an exasperated look.

“Come on Buck, enough already! We’re doing this.”

Bucky’s lips pressed together in a tight line.

“What about the promise we made to Beth? You know, the one about NOT joining until after her birthday?”

For a brief moment, Steve paused, a conflicted expression crossing his face for only a split second when he shrugged and turned back to the center with a fierce resolve. With a look of disapproval, Bucky pursed his lips and considered leaving his friend to it, but ultimately, his protectiveness won and he found himself jogging after the younger man.

As they entered the room, Bucky glanced around and took in the lists showing ailments that would cause you to be rejected. He knew there was no way he  would be rejected as he had never really been ill and  was a very fit man, however, Steve suffered from the first three ailments alone, and Bucky’s eyes spotted at least another two as he skimmed down the list once more. He wanted to drag Steve out of there before it was too late, but as his arm extended out to grasp the smaller man’s collar, Beth’s face flashed through his mind. At first she was smiling, but as his eyes strayed over to a film reel of bombs being dropped over London, the image was replaced by one of Beth staring up at the sky in terror, a bomb heading towards her.

A hand fell on his shoulder and he jumped violently, barely able to stop himself from lashing out at Steve, who was giving him a concerned look.

“Are you okay?” he asked worriedly.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. Come on, let’s get this over with.”

Surprised at Bucky’s sudden eagerness to join up, Steve walked up to the desk and grabbed an application form. It didn’t take long before they were seated in the waiting area and Bucky found his feet kept tapping nervously.

“James Barnes.”

“Steven Rogers.”

Both men stood and gave each other a hug.

“Good luck.” Steve said, knowing there was no way Bucky would be rejected.

“Yeah, you too.” Bucky replied, patting his friend’s shoulder.

He slid in to the room behind the doctor, who took all of his vitals before offering him a seat on the bed. As he fastened the buttons of his shirt, the doctor peered at him over his glasses.

“So, young man. Why is it you wish to join the army?” he asked.

Bucky took a deep breath, a frown appearing on his face, before replying.

“Honestly, I don’t. I want to be the farthest place away from here I can, but if anything was to happen to my family, I would never forgive myself. That’s the only reason I’m here- to keep them safe.”

The doctor nodded, an understanding shine in his eyes, his head set in a grim line as he saw the unhappiness on Bucky’s face.

“Well, I’m happy to clear you for duty. You’ll receive instructions about basic training within the next few weeks. I’m so sorry.”

Unable to speak through the emotions choking him, Bucky simply nodded and took the file. The whole process took less than twenty minutes but to the young man, it felt as though twenty years had passed. Numb, he walked back in to the waiting room to see a glum looking Steve already there. As soon as their eyes met, Bucky couldn’t help but breathe with relief. Steve had been rejected, he would be safe.

“I take it they accepted you?” Steve asked, jealousy lacing his tone.

“Don’t be like that.” Bucky snapped, heading to the exit.

The walk back to Steve’s was quiet. Steve was hurt over the rejection and felt guilty for his jealousy. Bucky was still stunned that he’d actually gone and joined up. On top of it, both felt incredibly ashamed that they’d gone behind Beth’s back. By the time they finally arrived, Steve stopped Bucky before they ascended the steps.

“I’m sorry Bucky. I just wish I had been accepted.”

“I know you do buddy, but at least now you can keep an eye on Beth while I’m away.”

Steve grinned, but shook his head.

“She’ll have Mark for that. I have a feeling his going to propose soon.”

The smile fell from Bucky’s face as fast as it appeared, and an uncomfortable feeling settled in his stomach. Ever since he’d found out about Beth’s new man, he’d had an angry pit bubbling inside him. At first, it was anger at himself for not speaking enough to Beth, then it was towards Beth for not telling him and then it simmered out until he was angry at Mark himself. He knew why, but refused to admit it to himself, so allowed his mind to convince his heart that he was angry because it would one day break up their little family. 

“Yeah, probably.” He finally said, realising Steve was still waiting for a response.

Steve’s eyebrow quirked up once more, but Bucky ignored him and started up the stairs. Beth greeted them as they walked inside, a smear of flour on her cheek that had both men laughing. She looked at them in confusion until Bucky’s hand reached up and brushed at the white powder. A blush crossed her face and both Beth and Bucky told themselves it was embarrassment, not attraction that cased it, even when she turned redder at the smirk accompanying the small touch. He let his hand drop and she smiled as she walked back to the kitchen, asking the pair how their day was. They shared a wary look before stating it was nothing out of the ordinary. She smiled over the shoulder at them and Bucky found his hand trailing to his pocket, making sure his papers were safely hidden.

“So what are you baking over there?” Steve asked, sniffing the air to try and guess.

“Mice pies. And no, you can’t have any of the filling.” She said to Bucky as he opened his mouth to ask that very question.

He snapped his mouth shut with a grin and shrugged as he sank down on one of the kitchen chairs, happy to watch her bustle about. Steve also watched her, his heart aching at the movements that only a year ago were being done by their mother. He missed her so much, and seeing Beth taking over from her made him both happy and sad. Bucky saw his friend’s expression and reached over to pat his shoulder. Seeing the movement, Beth turned and wrapped her arms round him as a few silent tears broke from his eyes. From the shaking of her body, Steve knew she was using his sadness to let her own out and raised his arms to awkwardly wrap around them. Bucky decided to give them a moment and stepped in to the living room, not realising he’d knocked his jacket off the back of the chair in doing so. Beth’s eagle eyes spotted a piece of paper fall to the floor, and the moment she read the words ‘US Army Recruitment Form’, she let out a gasp. Pulling out of Steve’s grasp, she bent to pick it up, her eyes widening as she read the words, telling her that Bucky had been drafted.

“Beth.” Steve began, rising from the chair.

She turned a glare to him azure eyes flashing with an anger he’d never seen, and one that immediately had him sitting back in his seat.

“Don’t.” she warned as his mouth opened once more.

The venom in her vice made him shudder and as she stormed out of the room, Steve decided it would be wise to stay out of the way. As she moved to the living room, Bucky smiled up at her from his crouched position next to the tree, only for it to falter at the livid expression on her face.

“What’s wrong?” he asked as he stood to face her.

Her hand slammed in to his chest and he reached up to take the piece of paper from beneath her skin. His throat instantly dried and she continued glaring at him with hears shining in her eyes.

“You dropped something.” She spat.

Unable to stay in the room a moment longer, she flung open the front door, slamming it so hard behind her the windows shook. Bucky let the paper drop to the floor and took a shuddering breath as he heard her barely muffled sobs filter in from outside. Steve shuffled in from the kitchen and Bucky sighed.

“What do we do?” he asked.

Steve shrugged.

“I have no clue. Just give her a few minutes.”

Though he didn’t want to, Bucky agreed and took a seat in the living room. After a few minutes, the sound of Beth’s crying stopped, but she still didn’t come back in. another few moments passed and Bucky was about ready to haul her into the warmth when he heard a male’s voice on the other side of the door. Mark. Gritting his teeth, Bucky once more sat down and barely greeted the other man when he entered with Beth. Beth ignored the pair of them and moved back to the kitchen, bringing in a pot of coffee shortly after. Though she chatted amicably to them, Bucky knew it was only for Mark’s benefit, and it only made him more irritated.

By the time Mark left, Bucky felt like smashing something, so when Steve invited him to his room, he jumped off the sofa as if it was aflame. Beth watched them go, her anger from earlier dissolving into sadness. Silently, she gathered their empty cups and after washing them, decided she wanted some air. She grabbed her coat from the hanger and moved on to the balcony outside her room, not caring that snow had started falling again. She brushed a patch of snow away and sat down with her legs dangling over the edge, watching the hustle and bustle of the street below. Despite it being Christmas Eve, people still filled the sidewalk, desperate to buy the last minute presents they forgot. At that moment, Beth wanted to ignore Christmas altogether. The door quietly opened behind her and when a familiar pair of legs stood next to her, she let out a sigh.

“I’m so sorry Bethie. Steve was so desperate to join and I couldn’t let him do it alone.”

“Even though you knew there was no way they’d say yes to him?” she asked.

Though there was no anger, her words still made Bucky flinch.

“Guess I was worried they’d be so desperate they’d let anyone in” he admitted.

Beth looked up at him and for the first time, saw the fear he had for her brother’s safety. At once, her anger vanished completely and she picked herself up, flinging herself into his arms.

“Thank you for being there for him.” She said into the fabric of his jacket.

“Till the end of the line.” he said, reminding her of his promise at Sarah’s funeral.

She grinned up at him and nodded.

“To the end of the line.”


End file.
